Working Families’ Best Practice Awards – the shortlist is unveiled

Published: 30 May 2018

After a record-breaking number of entries, Working Families announces the shortlist of employers who are offering outstanding flexible and employee-friendly workplaces.

The organisations which have made it through to the shortlist in one or more of the 13 categories in Working Families’ Best Practice Awards is unveiled today.

Forward-thinking employers who are using family friendly policies and an agile approach are reaping the benefits of raised productivity and reduced employee turnover as well as creating equality in their workplace. They are also seeing gains in employee engagement, morale and career progression.

Established in 2010, the Working Families’ Best Practice Awards showcase and celebrate employers who are offering flexibility for all their people and going the extra mile in their support for parents and carers.

Employers from a diverse range of sectors from across the UK have competed to catch the judges’ attention in 13 categories. The shortlisted organisations are:

My Family Care Best for Mothers

Millwood Servicing

Royal Air Force

Westfield Europe

UBS Best for Fathers

Westfield Europe

Pinsent Masons

The Carers UK Best for Carers & Eldercare

Centrica

Cityparents Best Family Network

Santander

Barclays

Sky

Cityparents Best Innovation

The Difference Collective

Barclays

Lewis Silkin

Best for Flexible Recruitment

KnownFour

The Government Equalities Office Best Returner Programme

Deloitte

Morgan Stanley

UBS

Lloyds Banking Group

Best for Embedded Flexibility

Barclays

Oliver Wyman

Designated Group

Best Flexible Working Initiative

Public Health England

Yorkshire Building Society

Ministry of Justice

Best for Line Manager Support

Royal Air Force

Barclays

Westfield Europe

Best Large Private Sector Employer

Morgan Sindall

Westfield Europe

Lloyds Banking Group

Best Small Employer

Independent Living Fund Scotland

LUC

Pursuit Marketing

Best Public Sector Employer

Crown Prosecution Service

Royal Air Force

Highlands & Islands Enterprise

Sarah Jackson OBE, Chief Executive of Working Families and chair of the judging panel said:

Congratulations to our finalists, whose flexible, agile approach has earnt them a much-coveted place in the shortlist of this year’s Best Practice Awards. We had a record-breaking number of entries in 2018, but these outstanding entries caught the eye of the judging panel.

Our research shows that for nearly three quarters of parents, family is their number one priority. With 11 million working parents in the UK making up more than a third of the workforce, it’s initiatives like these that will help them balance work and family life and progress in their careers.”

The final winners of each Award category are judged by an expert panel. The judging process for the Awards is anonymous – none of the judges knows the identity of the companies which they are judging.

The winners of the Working Families’ Best Practice Awards will be announced at London’s Vintners’ Hall on 20th June 2018.